Throughout its history, the Century Club of Scranton advocated for the city to collect garbage, took an interest in tuberculosis prevention and had a role in the formation of other organizations like local United Way and Boys & Girls Club chapters.
As members celebrated the Century Club’s 105th anniversary on Saturday with a night of dinner, dancing and a video about the organization’s history, its leaders spoke of getting back to the nonprofit’s roots and making that kind of tangible impact on the community again.
The Century Club formed in 1911 after several smaller women’s groups decided to merge — a time before women had the right to vote.
Through the decades, it grew from about 180 members who included a virtual Who’s Who of upper-echelon Scranton society to a peak of 800 in the 1950s, then eventually declined.
The Jefferson Avenue building’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 gave new life to the organization, and Renee Arledge, the club’s president, hopes to see more women — and men — join the current 144 members.
“We’ve been really trying to bring the Century Club into the next century,” said Mrs. Arledge, who, as the Employment Opportunity and Training Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s next operations director, is the organization’s first full-time president with a full-time job.
Megan Alpert, the organization’s first vice president and next president, said the goals for the future fall under three categories: revitalization, reconnection and relevance.
The Century Club launched a Facebook group, is working on a strategic plan for the next three to five years, and its website is expected to go live by May.
The group already runs social activities from bridge to luncheons; houses art exhibits and dancing events; raises money for charities; and invites speakers to talk about the issues of the day, like when Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce President Robert Durkin spoke about the region’s economy last year.
Saturday’s event also raised money for the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s Women in Philanthropy initiative.
“My knowledge of the Century Club is 105 years of really being committed to the community and actually starting and spearheading so many charitable organizations,” said Laura Ducceschi, Scranton Area Community Foundation’s CEO and a member of the Century Club.
The foundation launched the Women in Philanthropy initiative last year, and many of its components are still under development.
The program is designed to promote entrepreneurship, financial confidence, health and wellness, and science, technology, math and engineering education among area women.
“It’s all about empowering and engaging women and girls to be self-sufficient,” she said. “Women are the core of the family, so it’s empowering families. That’s why I think there’s a lot of synergy with the history and the future vision of the club.”
Contact the writer:
kwind@timesshamrock.com,
@kwindTT on Twitter